TRIGGER WARNING: |
This page contains themes of sexual assault and rape that may be upsetting or triggering for some viewers.
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National Sexual Assault Hotline: 1-800-656-4673
"I'm not afraid of god, I am afraid of man"
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It is not unreasonable for any woman to state that they are afraid of men. "1 out of every 6 American women has been the victim of an attempted or completed rape in her lifetime (14.8% completed, 2.8% attempted)". Women leave their homes and never know whether or not they will be attacked, sexually assaulted, catcalled, sexualized, or violated. This is a serious issue and with statistics in favor of the argument men still argue that women are "just being dramatic" or that they are "asking for it" because of the clothes they wear. Women should be allowed to walk outside with the same sense of security men have and be able to dress however they want without fear of being attacked. In fact, "In Sweden, the researchers found virtually no gender gap, with men and women walking roughly the same average number of steps each day. Yet in Qatar, women walked 38% fewer steps a day on average than their male counterparts." and "A report released last month by the Children’s Society showed one in three girls aged between 10 and 17 in Britain said they felt afraid of being followed by strangers. Multiple girls described being “beeped” at while in their school uniforms by men driving past." and "Stanford researchers found that UK women took 1,074 fewer steps on average than men every day – adding up to almost 400,000 fewer steps a year." The sad truth is that many women can relate to Medusa's story and use the figure of Medusa as a sort of armor and also listen to it as a cautionary tale that women are never truly safe from the atrocities of men. To be clear, I in no way saying all men are bad, but the fact that men can commit these atrocities and get away free because women are too afraid to step forward and share their stories or even if they do that they are often dismissed without a second thought should terrify each and every one of us because this is the world in which we live.
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Medusa's Story |
Medusa was once the best and most beautiful caretaker of the temple of Athena which stood next to the water. Poseidon stalked Medusa from the sea as she went about her chores each day and became infatuated with her beauty until one day he "couldn't control himself any longer" and rose to the surface. Before she knew it Medusa was being attacked and raped by the lustful and powerful god, she knew she wouldn't be able to overpower him but still never stopped fighting until finally, he left her alone, bruised and bleeding on the steps of the temple Medusa lovingly cared for as she would the goddess herself. Athena came down from Olympus pulled Medusa in to the warm embrace of her power and gifted Medusa with a power to ensure no man would ever harm her again. And so Medusa continued to care for the temple of Athena throughout the years. As Medusa went about her life, she felt safe once again, protected by the power gifted from Athena to turn men in to stone at a glance so that any man who dared harm her or the women around her would never be able to harm anyone ever again. Once they turned into stone they would never be free to harass women again. Perseus kept this in mind as he approached Medusa from behind on her way to work and wrapped her neck with rope to sever it form her body.
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Two Stories |
This is the version of Medusa's story I choose to follow. While this is inspired from the myth I have adapted it a little to better fit my purposes. There are two main versions of the story. The one I used is the one where Medusa was a loyal caretaker and defender to the temple of Athena and when she is raped by Poseidon in the temple, Athena turns her into a gorgon so that she can turn men in to stone at a glance in hopes that no man will ever harm her again so the power is seen as protecting Medusa. In the second version, Athena is jealous because the people of the town, in which Athena's temple resides, have started to pay more attention to and giving gifts to the beautiful young Medusa who is caretaker to the temple, until one day Medusa seduces Poseidon in the temple of Athena and as a punishment and out of spite, Athena curses Medusa making her ugly and terrifying to behold so no man will ever look her way again and if they were to look at her they would be turned in to stone. In both versions, Medusa is a caretaker and protector to the temple of Athena which means she has also sworn an oath to remain a virgin while she served the temple of Athena. In one, the power of the gorgon is gifted to Medusa so that she may never be harmed again and, in the other, it is a punishment to Medusa for breaking her vow and a curse so that men will stop looking at Medusa and their attention be turned back to Athena. These two stories (if this is real) could have easily been from the accounts of two bystanders. The first being by a woman and her perspective of women helping women and a man being the antagonist. The second story told by a man who assumed that one, Medusa wanted Poseidon to do what he did and two, that Athena was just jealous and feeling spiteful towards Medusa. Women tend to side one way and yet the second story seems to be the one you find first in many cases.
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Another version of Medusa's story: |
https://youtu.be/UQTYhWOePfk
This version is one that sees both sides of the story and tells it as such, demonstrating the complex emotions and intentions behind the actions of the characters. |
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